PewDiePie Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is PewDiePie’s Net Worth?

With a net worth of $45 million, PewDiePie is a Swedish internet celebrity, video game commentator, and streamer. His channel has held the title of the most-subscribed channel on YouTube at various times, and he has been recognized as the highest-earning YouTuber globally. His videos primarily showcase him playing different video games.

In his typical video, he plays a game while providing commentary on his experiences and reactions to what’s happening on the screen. Often referring to his fans as the ‘Bro Army’ made up of ‘Bros,’ he concludes each video with a signature ‘Brofist.’ Since launching his channel in 2009, his subscriber base has seen explosive growth. He also participated in the Nonick Conference in 2012. By October 2012, OpenSlate had ranked PewDiePie as the top YouTube channel based on “SlateScore.” By April 2013, his subscriber count reached 6 million, after which he relocated to the United Kingdom in July 2013 seeking better Internet connectivity.

Highest Paid YouTube Star

PewDiePie is not only the biggest star on YouTube by video views, but he consistently ranks among the top earners on the platform. In 2013, CelebrityNetWorth reported him as the highest-paid YouTube star with earnings of $12 million. His earnings grew to over $14 million in 2014, then dropped to $9 million in 2015, before bouncing back to $15 million in 2016. In 2017, he made $12 million and in 2018, his earnings peaked at $15.5 million. In 2019, he earned $13 million. Presently, PewDiePie charges around $450,000 for a single sponsored video.

When everything is summed up, PewDiePie has generated more than $73 million in pre-tax income from his YouTube ventures since 2013. In an interview, he stated that his net worth is “much much” greater than $20 million.

Early Life

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, known as PewDiePie, was born on October 24, 1989, in Gothenburg, Sweden. His parents are Lotta Kristine Johanna and Ulf Christian Kjellberg, with his father working as a corporate executive and his mother serving as an award-winning Chief Information Officer. He has one older sister named Fanny. During high school, Felix often skipped classes to indulge in video games. He graduated from Göteborgs Högre Samskola and initially aimed to pursue a degree in Industrial Economics and Technology Management at Chalmers University of Technology. However, after losing interest in the subjects, he dropped out—not to pursue YouTube, as commonly misreported over the years. Despite his disinterest in academic courses, he nurtured a passion for Photoshop and maintained his love for video games, ultimately selling photoshopped images to afford his first computer.

YouTube

PewDiePie became a part of YouTube on December 19, 2006, with his original channel named “Pewdie.” He described his choice of the term “pew” as the sound a laser emits. Felix’s initial videos showcased him playing Call of Duty, alongside some vblogging content. After accidentally losing access to his Pewdie channel due to a forgotten password, he created a new one called PewDiePie on April 29, 2010. The PewDiePie channel featured games like Call of Duty, Minecraft, and an array of horror/action titles. He often shared short clips highlighting his best kills in Call of Duty, enriched with engaging commentary and edits. His Minecraft content typically consisted of “Let’s Plays,” where he simply played the game.

Early Success

At a certain point, PewDiePie began to feature the game Amnesia. For reasons unknown, his Amnesia Let’s Plays resonated with the broader YouTube community, resulting in a tremendous increase in subscribers. By July 2012, his channel reached 1 million subscribers and hit 2 million by September 2012. He entered into a representation agreement with MCN Machinima before transitioning to Maker Studios in October 2012.

The Biggest YouTube Star On The Planet

Throughout 2012 and 2013, PewDiePie’s channel was recognized as the fastest-growing on YouTube. In 2013 alone, his subscriber count surged from 3.5 million to 19 million. That year, he gained a new follower at an astounding pace of 1.037 PER SECOND. He amassed 1.3 billion views on his videos, finishing the year as YouTube’s most subscribed channel.

With the support of Maker Studios, he launched a PewDiePie iPhone app. Although he occasionally voiced discomfort regarding Maker Studio’s parent organization, Disney, he nevertheless established a website and online store to enhance the successful app.

In 2014, his channel saw an increase of 14 million subscribers and garnered 4.1 billion video views, far exceeding any other channel that year. By 2015, he was averaging 300 million views monthly.

Return To Twitch

After signing an exclusive streaming agreement with YouTube in May 2020, PewDiePie made a surprising comeback to Twitch in March 2023, following a lengthy period of inactivity on the channel. He introduced a novel concept named PewDiePie Infinity, which he described as an “infinite money glitch in real life,” establishing it to stream an endless loop of his previous streams and videos. As of now, he has amassed 1.5 million followers on the platform.

Controversies

In February 2017, PewDiePie lost his YouTube Red show after antisemitic references were discovered in several of his videos. He asserted that the videos were intended as sarcasm and aimed to illustrate how far people would go for money, regardless of how shocking or inappropriate it might be. One notable incident involved him paying two individuals $5 via the Fiver website to display a sign reading “Death to all Jews.” Additionally, a viral challenge urging people to “subscribe to PewDiePie” led to various pranks aimed at spreading that phrase publicly. At least two mass murderers

During their massacres or in their manifestos, individuals have expressed the phrase “subscribe to PewDiePie.” PewDiePie has condemned the meme and the actions of the murderers, distancing himself from them.

Personal Life

In 2011, PewDiePie encountered Italian Marzia Bisognin, leading to an online friendship that eventually blossomed into a romance. In 2012, he facilitated her creation of a YouTube channel known as CutiePieMarzia, where her videos covered topics such as fashion, makeup, books, films, and beauty. This channel grew to become one of the most popular beauty channels on YouTube. In 2018, she stepped away from the platform. For several years, the couple divided their time between Sweden and Italy before ultimately settling in Brighton and Hove, England. They tied the knot in August 2019 and maintain a relatively private life in their small seaside town with two pugs, one named Edgar and the other named Maya. In February 2023, his wife announced they were expecting their first child.

In 2019, the couple purchased a house in Japan, which was later burglarized that same year, resulting in a delayed move due to Japan’s relocation regulations as a result of COVID-19. Eventually, in May 2022, they relocated to Japan with a five-year business visa.